


Haunted

by NightmareNightingale



Series: Bad Things Happen [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Bad Things Happen Bingo, F/M, prompt: nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-07-08 10:33:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15928637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightmareNightingale/pseuds/NightmareNightingale
Summary: The nightmares will always be there, haunting him...Part of Bad Things Happen BingoPrompt: Nightmares





	Haunted

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so, not gonna lie, this isn’t written as well as I had hoped, but I wanted to get something out there for y’all. This is my first ever Bad Things Happen Bingo entry, so I hope y’all enjoy it.

**Tick, tick, tick.**

The familiar sound of a ticking bomb echoed through the empty room as he looked around.  

_“Jason, I’m sorry.”_

The words of a mother who’d realized her mistake just a little soon, and he tried to push them out of his mind as he tried to figure out a way to escape.

He knew this wasn’t real, yet there was some sort of pull that he couldn’t quite explain that made him want to change things. Maybe this time,  _he could_.

**Tick, tick, tick.**

The ticking did little to calm his nerves, but he had to push through. He had to get out of there. as he noticed at the opposite end of the room, and as quickly as he could, he made his way over to it.

 _“I should’ve known better, Jason. I’m just so,_ so _sorry.”_

He ignored his mother’s words as he examined the door. There was no handle, no lock, nothing. But, there was still a silver of hope that he could get out of this. He just had to try.

 “What are you doing, little bird?”

Jason slowly turned towards the sound of the familiar voice in fear. He could hear his mother begin to cry as the Joker appeared, coming out of the shadows with the sadistic smile on his face, and a crowbar in his hand.

Without warning, the crowbar came down, and hit Jason directly in the face. He let out a scream of pain.

“You can never escape,” Joker said, swinging the crowbar down again. This time, a strangled noise that sounded like it came from a dying animal escaped his lips. Jason tried pushing himself up, but another blow came from the crowbar.

“You can  _never escape._ ”

But he had to. Jason had to get out of here, and save his mother, and make his way back to Bruce and Dick and Barbara, and everything else he stupidly left behind in Gotham. He had to get back.

**Tick, tick, tick.**

The bomb’s ticking seemed to be getting faster and faster, and Jason couldn’t tell how much time had passed, and how much he still had left.

“No,” he muttered, pushing himself up again. Although the crowbar hit him again, this time, his wavering wasn’t as apparent. As he tried to stand up, the Joker grabbed him by the collar of his costume and threw him into the middle of the room.

Jason stumbled a bit, before falling. He landed against something soft and turned to see his mother there - his real mother, looking down at him with nothing but regret. 

“You’ll die in here,” Joker said as he began swinging the crowbar again, “You’ll both die in here. And there’s nothing you can do about it.” Joker let out his maniacal laugh, and chills went up Jason’s spine. As the crowbar came down to strike him, his mother wrapped her arms around him, trying to protect him. But, it did little to nothing for Jason, as Joker’s swings kept coming, harder and harder each time. The madman didn’t care who he was hitting, so long as there was pain. And there was so much of it.

**Tick, tick, tick.**

“I’ve got to go, little bird,” Joker said as he brought the crowbar, now covered in blood, to his shoulder, “It’s been  _real_  fun.”

And with that, another laugh escaped Joker’s lips as he began to walk backwards.  

Jason didn’t know why, but he just felt the compulsion to close his eyes. He brought his hands to his ears, covering them in hopes of getting rid of that awful laughter. It’s still there, echoing in his mind, though, and he couldn’t seem to get rid of it, no matter how hard he tried.

Quickly enough, the laughter died down, and when Jason opened his eyes, Joker was gone. Loud sobs began to echo throughout the room, and Jason realized that his mother was still holding onto him for dear life. He quickly pulled away, and again began to look for any form of escape.

**Tick, tick, tick.**

**Tick, tick, tick.**

"Jay..."

He could barely hear the voice over all the other noises in the room, but it was there, soft and familiar, though he couldn’t quite place it. He made his way to the door; maybe, this time, he'd make it out of the building, and save his mother. Maybe this time, he'd make it out alive.

"Jason..."

There it was again, faint through the sound of his mother's screams and sobs and the ticking of the bomb. He began clawing at the door, screaming as loud as he could.

"Jason..."

He heard it one last time, then there was nothing but a loud bang, and everything went black.

"Jason!"

His eyes opened wide, and as he sat up straight, he found himself in a bedroom.  _His_  bedroom. It took him a moment to completely connect the dots, but he felt himself slump back as he began to gain his composure.

“Babe…?”

He turned to the voice next to him as there was a shift in the bed. He was instantly pained when he saw his girlfriend sitting there, and panic set in when he noticed the tears falling from her red and puffy eyes.

“Did I …?”

He didn’t have the heart to finish the sentence. Even though he had been doing a lot better lately, both of them knew that he was still prone to violent outbursts, especially during his nightmare episodes. He wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if he had hurt her again.

Before she could answer, he turned away, facing forward again as he closed his eyes, trying to steady his breath. Tears began brimming in his own eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He was stronger than that...  _better_ than that...

He could feel the bed shifting again, and a weight sat on his lower half, the familiar feeling of the silk nightgown brushing at the hem of his boxers.

“Jay, look at me,” she said, “ _please_.”

He opened his eyes, finding her right in front of him, her eyes no longer filled with tears, instead set with determination. He tried looking away again, but she brought her hands to his face, gently but firmly moved his face so he would have to look at her.

“Babe, you didn’t hurt me, I  _promise_ ,” she said.

“It just seemed like a really bad nightmare,” she continued, leaning in to rest her forehead against his, “worse than usual. I was worried.”  

Even after all this time with her, he still wasn’t used to having someone else care, at least, not the way she did. He closed his eyes again, this time focusing on her touch. Her tiny hands were soft against his skin. How had he found such beauty amongst all the darkness in his life?

He took a deep breath in and let out a small sigh.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“I know,” she replied.

The two just sat there for what felt like eternity, the only sound heard was Jason's deep, even breaths. At some point, he realized he was drawing circles on her hips, barely glancing down when acknowledged it. When had he rested his hands there? He hadn’t remembered, but the familiarity of it all was comforting, none the less, and a smile played upon his lips.

Eventually, she leaned in tentatively, her beautiful eyes looking at him with a questioning gaze. Jason knew exactly what it was she wanted; he brought his hands to her back, and he closed the space between them, letting his lips hit hers’. It was a gentle kiss, with a hint of desperation. He quickly used his strength to flip the two around, pressing his body against hers’ with another kiss. He knew the nightmares would never really go away. But, at least, they weren’t so bad when she was by his side... 

“Jay, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> So I have realized two things while writing this; one, I have no idea how to write a short drabble. Seriously, I think I'm incapable of writing something that's less than 1,000 words.... and two, I also really suck at endings. I'm sorry, y'all.


End file.
